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IRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Taco Bell® is now the first QSR to offer menu items certified by the
American Vegetarian Association (AVA), the industry’s recognized
standard in vegetarian labeling. With more than 6,000 restaurants across
the U.S. and a new vegetarian menu category launching today on its
mobile ordering app and ta.co – the brand’s new web site – Taco Bell is
leading the way when it comes providing easy, accessible vegetarian menu
items that don’t compromise on variety or taste.

The latest in Taco Bell’s Food for All journey – focused on providing
customers with choice, transparency and simplicity – the new
AVA-certified menu takes its commitment to choice a step further,
meeting the evolving needs of vegetarians and flexitarians. With roughly
a quarter of consumers eating more vegetarian now than in 2013, Taco
Bell recognized the opportunity to make access to vegetarian options
easier than before.

“At Taco Bell, vegetarians are not an afterthought. We sell more than
350 million vegetarian menu items each year, but until now haven’t been
vocal about it,” said Brian Niccol, CEO, Taco Bell Corp. “The recent
launch of ta.co which makes customization easy made this the perfect
time to move our vegetarian menu from the background to the forefront to
further illustrate our commitment to delivering food that fits our
customers’ evolving lifestyles.”

Taco Bell’s Vegetarian menu offers 13 AVA-certified menu items – like
the 7-Layer Burrito and Cantina Power Veggie Bowl. Customers can also
hack the menu with any of the 35 AVA-certified vegetarian ingredients
(26 of which are also vegan) and substitute beans for meat to create one
of millions of different possible veggie-friendly combinations. Just
launched this week, the new ta.co allows customers to personalize each
order, so ordering meat-free has never been easier or more fun.

“We get it – being a vegetarian can be tough when you go out to eat,”
said Niccol. “ We’re proud to treat meat lovers and vegetarians equally
– equally delicious, equally craveable and equally affordable.”

Taco Bell continues to evolve the QSR experience with a fresh
perspective on menu innovation – food that’s customizable and fits
people’s lifestyles, without compromise on taste. In May, Taco Bell
announced a commitment to simplifying its food with the removal of all
artificial flavors and colors, as well as added trans fat, high fructose
corn syrup and unsustainable palm oil by the end of 2015. Taco Bell also
answered customer demand for transparency by updating its website with
user-friendly ingredient statements and a new nutrition calculator.

Taco
Bell Corp., a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc., (NYSE: YUM), is the
nation's leading Mexican-inspired quick service restaurant. Taco Bell
serves made to order and customizable tacos, burritos, and specialties
such as the exclusive Doritos® Locos Tacos, gourmet- inspired Cantina
Power® Menu and lower calorie Fresco
Menu. Taco Bell Breakfast offers portable, classic items such as the
A.M. Crunchwrap®, Waffle Taco and signature burritos. The company
encourages customers to “Live Más,” both through its food and in ways
such as its Feed
The Beat® music program and its nonprofit organization, the Taco
Bell® Foundation
for Teens™. Taco Bell and its more than 350 franchise organizations
have more than 6,000 restaurants across the United States that proudly
serve more than 42 million customers every week.